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Explanation of unbundleling Cable Channels

Ford said:
Jimmy Higgins said:
Netflix
Amazon Prime
DishWorld
FuboTV
FoxSoccer2Go
HBO Live (or whatever the online version is called)
CBS
Hulu Plus
Nickelodeon
WWE Network
Dish's SlingTV (which is a bundled IP service with fewer on demand options)

These are all examples of existing or to be existing a la carte services. The big companies are starting to head this way, so the idea that a la carte is a failure would go in the face of what media providers seem to be thinking with making this fork in their entertainment providing.
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And some of them are, perhaps more importantly, not just a la carte but on demand.

If I want to watch House of Cards, I don't have to wait a week between episodes. If I want to watch Orange is the New Black at midnight without having to fire up a (rented) DVR, I can do that, too. There is no extra monthly fee for watching shows I want to watch when I want to watch them.

Right now, your cable or satellite provider will be happy to charge you for such a privilege. And give you 47 home shopping channels you don't want.
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But Netflix doesn't give you the option to only watch House of Cards or Orange is the New Black, they require you to buy a bundle for a set monthly fee which includes a bunch of crap you'll never watch. Imagine all the savings you could obtain if you deselected the content from the license deals that Netflix made that you don't ever watch.
 
dismal said:
Jimmy Higgins said:
Seeing the right-wing argument (why does it always seem to fall down to partisan shit?) is bankrupt. So they need shit analogies to pretend they have a point.

Netflix
Amazon Prime
DishWorld
FuboTV
FoxSoccer2Go
HBO Live (or whatever the online version is called)
CBS
Hulu Plus
Nickelodeon
WWE Network
Dish's SlingTV (which is a bundled IP service with fewer on demand options)

These are all examples of existing or to be existing a la carte services. The big companies are starting to head this way, so the idea that a la carte is a failure would go in the face of what media providers seem to be thinking with making this fork in their entertainment providing.

You can't go a la carte and get everything, but if you want everything, why go a la carte?!
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The idea that companies who provide a service you are not required to buy should be free to price that service how they like is now a "right wing argument"?
Click to expand...

The "right wing argument" is typically the one that focuses on corporate freedom and choice rather than personal freedom and choice.
 
ksen said:
dismal said:
The idea that companies who provide a service you are not required to buy should be free to price that service how they like is now a "right wing argument"?
Click to expand...

The "right wing argument" is typically the one that focuses on corporate freedom and choice rather than personal freedom and choice.
Click to expand...

Well I guess I'm in the middle because I focus on everyone's freedom of choice. I don't think you should be forced to buy anything you don't want to buy from cable companies (or health insurers...) I don't think they should be forced to sell you things they don't want to sell.
 
ksen said:
dismal said:
The idea that companies who provide a service you are not required to buy should be free to price that service how they like is now a "right wing argument"?
Click to expand...

The "right wing argument" is typically the one that focuses on corporate freedom and choice rather than personal freedom and choice.
Click to expand...
Which kind of sums op the OP.
 
I've been offered bundling packages, and I've turned them down every time. I don't want the complications. If a price changes on one aspect of the bundle such that I'd rather switch carriers, there could be a consequence such that I'd have to make two changes (unbundled), and I'll be darned if the hassle factor is going to prevent me from acting--and doing more work than I would had to otherwise had I not bundled. I want 'em separate...and to hell with the five dollar savings that'll not be such a savings.
 
dismal said:
ksen said:
The "right wing argument" is typically the one that focuses on corporate freedom and choice rather than personal freedom and choice.
Click to expand...

Well I guess I'm in the middle because I focus on everyone's freedom of choice. I don't think you should be forced to buy anything you don't want to buy from cable companies (or health insurers...) I don't think they should be forced to sell you things they don't want to sell.
Click to expand...

Normally I'd agree with you but when an industry gets legislation passed to make them the only provider available in a certain area then I say to hell with them and what they want. If the cable market were truly open and free companies offering a la carte service could move in and then we'd see which consumers choose.

As it stands now if you want cable television you have the choice of only companies that bundle because of their manipulation of the political process.
 
ksen said:
dismal said:
Well I guess I'm in the middle because I focus on everyone's freedom of choice. I don't think you should be forced to buy anything you don't want to buy from cable companies (or health insurers...) I don't think they should be forced to sell you things they don't want to sell.
Click to expand...

Normally I'd agree with you but when an industry gets legislation passed to make them the only provider available in a certain area then I say to hell with them and what they want. If the cable market were truly open and free companies offering a la carte service could move in and then we'd see which consumers choose.

As it stands now if you want cable television you have the choice of only companies that bundle because of their manipulation of the political process.
Click to expand...

There really aren't many places (where people many people live) where there are not options to get TV outside of cable. FIOS, Satellites, UVerse, Apple TV, NetFlix, streaming teh interweb, etc.

I'm told there are even devices that make it possible for TV shows to be magically distilled from the air for free.
 
dismal said:
ksen said:
Normally I'd agree with you but when an industry gets legislation passed to make them the only provider available in a certain area then I say to hell with them and what they want. If the cable market were truly open and free companies offering a la carte service could move in and then we'd see which consumers choose.

As it stands now if you want cable television you have the choice of only companies that bundle because of their manipulation of the political process.
Click to expand...

There really aren't many places (where people many people live) where there are not options to get TV outside of cable. FIOS, Satellites, UVerse, Apple TV, NetFlix, streaming teh interweb, etc.

I'm told there are even devices that make it possible for TV shows to be magically distilled from the air for free.
Click to expand...

That's nice but the discussion is about cable companies and their unwillingness to unbundle.

Anyway, the future of bundling is limited anyway since as has been pointed out earlier a lot of content providers are gearing up to also offer their programming outside of the cable companies.
 
Axulus said:
Ford said:
And some of them are, perhaps more importantly, not just a la carte but on demand.

If I want to watch House of Cards, I don't have to wait a week between episodes. If I want to watch Orange is the New Black at midnight without having to fire up a (rented) DVR, I can do that, too. There is no extra monthly fee for watching shows I want to watch when I want to watch them.

Right now, your cable or satellite provider will be happy to charge you for such a privilege. And give you 47 home shopping channels you don't want.
Click to expand...

But Netflix doesn't give you the option to only watch House of Cards or Orange is the New Black, they require you to buy a bundle for a set monthly fee which includes a bunch of crap you'll never watch. Imagine all the savings you could obtain if you deselected the content from the license deals that Netflix made that you don't ever watch.
Click to expand...



Or as Netflix said "imagine all the savings you could obtain if we just charge less."

When I had satellite, I had one of the less expensive packages. It was 80 bucks a month. Netflix is literally 1/10 the cost of what I was paying the dish company, and while there is a lot of stuff I don't watch, I (again) can watch the content I do like on my schedule.

But I disagree that Netflix is a "bundle." Netflix is a service which provides you access to on demand streaming content. Cable and satellite companies sell you bundles of channels which may or may not have any content that you'd want to consume.
 
ksen said:
dismal said:
There really aren't many places (where people many people live) where there are not options to get TV outside of cable. FIOS, Satellites, UVerse, Apple TV, NetFlix, streaming teh interweb, etc.

I'm told there are even devices that make it possible for TV shows to be magically distilled from the air for free.
Click to expand...

That's nice but the discussion is about cable companies and their unwillingness to unbundle.

Anyway, the future of bundling is limited anyway since as has been pointed out earlier a lot of content providers are gearing up to also offer their programming outside of the cable companies.
Click to expand...

Oh, sorry, I thought someone made a comment about something like "the only provider available". Must have been in a different thread that where that must have had some relevance.
 
This is my first time thinking at all about this, but I am a DirecTV watcher who channel surfs, seeks out new shows to try, and watches shows on cable channels that would likely not exist without bundling.

Unbundling will likely reduce competition between shows and networks for viewers, thus would be bad for innovation of shows and new networks.

With bundling, a channel or show that few people know about or watch can build and audience over time by people stumbling on it or giving it a chance because nothing else is on. That won't happen with unbundled cable, because you have the channels you have and no chance of seeing a new network or new show on that network unless you already watch it. Even if a show starts to catch on, it popularity growth would be slowed by many people not having that channel because nothing they wanted was on it before.
Walking Dead and Breaking Bad were pricey shows that might not have ever gotten made with unbundling, given how few subscribers to AMC there would have been before these shows.

Most people already had easy access to AMC, whether they wanted it or not. That helped AMC to build an audience and then to create original programming and then to produce shows that other networks might have passed on or (in the case of the "Networks") ruined.

Thus, even if the cost is a bit higher with bundling, your paying a kind of investment that increases the odds that a show you'll like will have a chance to get made and succeed.
 
dismal said:
ksen said:
That's nice but the discussion is about cable companies and their unwillingness to unbundle.

Anyway, the future of bundling is limited anyway since as has been pointed out earlier a lot of content providers are gearing up to also offer their programming outside of the cable companies.
Click to expand...

Oh, sorry, I thought someone made a comment about something like "the only provider available". Must have been in a different thread that where that must have had some relevance.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and he also said in the very same post:

As it stands now if you want cable television you have the choice of only companies that bundle
Click to expand...

And then you nicely provided a list of companies that only bundle.

Thanks I guess?
 
ksen said:
dismal said:
Oh, sorry, I thought someone made a comment about something like "the only provider available". Must have been in a different thread that where that must have had some relevance.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and he also said in the very same post:

As it stands now if you want cable television you have the choice of only companies that bundle
Click to expand...

And then you nicely provided a list of companies that only bundle.

Thanks I guess?
Click to expand...

I don't think the device that distills TV free from the air has bundles.

And why do you imagine they all compete by offering bundles? Why do you think they all do it?
 
ksen said:
dismal said:
And why do you imagine they all compete by offering bundles? Why do you think they all do it?
Click to expand...

They certainly don't do it to meet the desires of the market.
Click to expand...

So when Dish or UVerse or FIOS comes into a new market you imagine the discussion goes something like this:

Dish Guy 1: So, we're getting ready to enter the East Podunk market. Our infrastructure costs are largely fixed. So we need to get lots of customers to switch or we'll all get fired. What can we do to take customers away from cable?
Dish Guy 2: Well, all of our research says customers hate bundles. I know, let's offer bundles!
 
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